Souvenir
by bluesnyder
Summary: A message left by Nihlus, post Eden Prime, to a "Sole Survivor" Shepard - what does the Akuze survivor possess that the distinguished Hero of Elysium and infamous Butcher of Torfan do not?


This is part of larger fic that was written for practice and entertainment between previous ME game launches, from 2010 to 2012. Now, post-ME3, I have no real reason or desire to continue working with it, but I still enjoy picking out parts to illustrate.

The particular Shepard I was writing for was a Sole Survivor. I originally wanted to find a way to coordinate the pre-service background into the events of ME2: how would a Shepard (who lived through Akuze and later learned the truth) react to being forced to work with Cerberus, and how would they relate to Garrus after Omega or Tali after Haestrom?

I also wanted an answer as to why a Sole Survivor Shepard would have been chosen for the Spectres over the War Hero or Ruthless marine - technically, there still is a Hero of Elysium and Butcher of Torfan in an Akuze survivor's game. What did Nihlus see in the Sole Survivor over every other candidate for humanity's first Spectre? The only answer Nihlus gave was that Shepard "showed an incredible will to live," a "particularly useful trait."

The whole idea really doesn't mean much, as backgrounds play little into the series after the first game, but it was interesting to consider.

Finally, I imagined Nihlus to be very proper and prone to rambling, like an irreverent character from a classic Anglo-literature novel.

This was written in 2012 and uploaded onto my Tumblr account on 2/24/13.

* * *

**Transmission – Local Network**

I am recording this on our approach to Eden Prime. Time is short, and I apologize if you find this message lacking. If you have received this, Shepard, then you must know that the mission did not go as planned. Please know that while I did not intend for this outcome, I know the importance of being prepared for the worst. As do you, I imagine. That is why you were chosen for the Spectres from all of your race, and with what this message is concerned.

We did not have much time to speak, and if I am not long for this galaxy, then I wish to leave you with answers to questions I know you must have and that I will not be able to answer. There are many things that I had intended to impart to you, had I the time to teach them.

I have an old memory, one that you may find familiar, of a young Alliance marine on a vidcast many years ago: a survivor of a great tragedy, bruised and bandaged, dodging reporters while disembarking from a transport. I thought little of it then, except that face of that solider became imprinted on my mind as the personification of humanity's perseverance.

What I formally know about you is your service record and reputation. You know how to fight, that much is proven, and you know how to lead. However, the most difficult challenge for any Spectre is deciding when to fight, and when to lead. Abiding by the will of the Council, and exercising your own judgment on their behalf, defines a Spectre's duties. It was my job, and my hope, that those were things that I would have been able to teach to you as your training.

However, given the present circumstances, I will be unable to do that, and so I must summarize what could potentially take years to learn in but a few, brief words. You must learn to put the good of all Council space above your own race, and even yourself. It is a simple concept to understand, but a difficult one to truly learn. We are predisposed, every sentient being to ever rise to the stars, to think of ourselves, our brothers, our countrymen, and so on, until we reach a planetary level, then system, growing outward until we reach the edges of known space. Until now, your focus has been as large as the Alliance worlds, but you must expand that into unfamiliar territory. Council space is now your home system, and the Citadel your home planet. You must live this ideal if you are ever to be successful as a Spectre. It will be difficult because as humanity's first Spectre, not only will it be your duty to put the galactic community first, but unlike all the Spectre's you will serve beside, you will be judged and punished by all of your race for doing so. This will be your greatest challenge, and if done correctly, your greatest victory.

There are many who refuse to accept the fact that humanity won't simply disappear from Council space like the quarians if they simply shun them long enough, or that they will remain idle and patient while waiting for acceptance like the lesser races. I am familiar with your kind, Shepard, and I know that the worst thing you can tell a human is "no". I have come to believe that your kind managed to cooperate long enough to reach the stars only because some force told them that they were supposed to remain on Earth, forever.

I understand that humanity will not be content until they are able to play a larger role in the galaxy. I assume this is why humans have so many fingers, for all the better at being able to stick them in places and affairs where they do not being.

Know that I have full confidence that you will be able to reach the necessary balance as a Spectre. I would not have elected to invest the time in your training otherwise. Humanity has demanded for some time that one of their kind be accepted into the ranks of the Spectres, not content with infiltrating positions in C-Sec. (I say this amicably – most of your kind, like those from my own and other races, do an admirable job.) Demands have finally worn down the Council and their cabinet, and those who do not believe that the Alliance is ready have finally been outnumbered. I believe that "humanity" was ready a long time before. A good Spectre is good not because of their race, but because of their individual qualities.

It was asked of us who was willing to take on the duty to train humanity's first Spectre, and I readily volunteered. Many do not see the importance of what you represent, Shepard. And it will their loss when you prove to them what you are capable of.

I was given a list of potential recruits, the greatest living heroes the Alliance had to offer. And there was a name on that list that stood out in particular. It was the name of a capable solider, overshadowed by the heroics of other brothers and sisters-in-arms. A solider whose victories go unsung while their people extol a chorus of those who could not have survived your path. The Alliance gave me a list of all their best-dressed names and faces, but I saw a name that represented the best of what humanity has to offer the galaxy. It was not a daring hero I was looking for, but the pragmatic embodiment of humanity's truest strength: perseverance.

You have continued forward when others have fallen. You turn loss into opportunity and success where others would have failed. You have proven that you have the willingness and the strength to continue when the mission goes wrong, or when all seems lost. Humanity's spirit is indomitable, but it is fair, and can be tempered by wisdom. _Shepard_ is the name I want the galaxy to know when they think of the Alliance. You are the human chosen to represent humanity, unique in all that you have possess, all you have accomplished, and all that you represent. You are to embody the spirit of your race, Shepard, and you must carry it forward to make the galaxy see that humanity has compassion with it's strength, reason with it's recklessness, and imagination that truly cannot be contained.

That is your mission, Shepard, and I rest assured that you will succeed.


End file.
